Drawbar and anchor therefor



July 22, 1941. H. E. VAN DORN DRAWBAR AND ANCHOR THEREFOR Filed March 11', 19:59

2' Sheets-Sheet l Patented July 22, 1941 u IT a STATES- PATENT OFFICE The Dornvan Corporation,

Illinois a corporation of Application March 11, 1939, Serial No. 261,259

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to that type of apparatus for coupling together railway cars, in which there is a drawbar of considerable length, provided at its outer end with a coupler head; the whole being so mounted that the coupler head may swing from'one side of the car to the other in turning curves, move up and down to compensate for difierences in levels which at times exist between meeting couplers, and may rock about a longitudinal axis to compensate for relative rocking movements between cars coupled together. The object of the present invention is to produce a simple, sturdy and durable construction to anchor the drawbar to the car frame and permit the aforesaid movements of the coupler head.

In draft riggings for railway cars, it is necessary to provide cushioning means to absorb bufiing and pulling stresses imposed on the couent invention relates to the latter type of anchoring means and may be said to have for its object to produce a construction that will permit the vertical axis about which a drawbar swings to be placed close to the bolsters so as to provide a maximum length of drawbar and permit the use of this type of construction on cars whose ends are of standard curvatures, without requiring the coupler heads to project much farther beyond the ends of the cars, when in their central positions, than is true of coupler heads on drawbars Whose pivotal axes are at the centers of the bolsters. I

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages, reference, may be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of anapparatus embodying the present invention, a portion of the main anchor casting or plate being broken away, and the coupler being shown only in outline by means of broken lines; Fig. 2 is a side view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 and the rear end of the drawbar, a portion of the drawbar being in a longitudinal section and the remainder being in elevation; Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 of Fig. 1, on a still larger scale, the upper portion of the anchor casting being broken away;

and Fig. 4 is a section on line 44 of Fig. 3. Referring to the drawings, l represents a flat, rectangular casting in the form of a plate depressed at the center to produce a downwardlyprojecting, frusto-conical hub-like portion 2,. The part 2 merges at its lower end into a cylindrical, downwardly-extending post 3 of large diameter. For the sake of lightness, the post is cored out to provide a central chamber 4. In the lower end of the post is a recess 5 of considerable diameter. At the juncture between the post and the part 2 of the casting is a downwardly-facing annular shoulder 6. Surrounding the post is a bearing member in the form of a ball I flattened at the, top and at the bottom; the flattened top of the ball engaging with the annular shoulder 6 on the anchor casting, and the flattened lower face resting on a supporting plate 8 in the form of a washer set against the lower end of the post.

The washer has a central protuberance 9 that fits into the recess 5 of the box. The washer has a central recess In extending into the same from the under side and having a diameter not much smaller than that of the protuberance 9. In this way there is provided a chamber for the reception of a head ll of a sturdy bolt l2 that extends up through the center of the post and is provided at its upper end with a nut 14 situated within the cavity in the depressed central portion of the anchor casting. In order that the nut may be inserted or removed and be held While the bolt is being turned, when the anchor casting is fastened underneath a car, I provide the wall of the frusto-conical part 2 of the casting with diametrically-opposed openings or windows i5 and It, at least one of which is large enough to permit the passage therethrough of the nut.

The ball is interlocked with the post to prevent relative rotary movements, so that there will be no wear between the ball and the post and the anchor casting as a whole will therefore last indefinitely. In the arrangement shown, a keyway I1 is cut radially into the bottom faces of the post and the ball, and in this keyway is placed a key l8 that rests upon the washer 8 and therefore can drop out when the washer is removed.

The ball is embraced in a ring-like ball race l9 whose outer surface is cylindrical and the interior of which is shaped to fit the ball. In order that the ball and the race may be assembled, the latter is divided in the vertical direction, conveniently into equal parts along a plane containing the axis of the cylindrical surface of the face, as indicated by the line of division in Fig. 4. The height of the race proper, namely that portion which actually bears against the surface of the ball, is somewhat less than the vertical distance between the flat faces of the ball. Consequently, the race may not only rotate freely about the ball in a horizontal plane, but may rock through a limited angle in the vertical direction before striking the part 2 of the casting or the edge of the washer 8 at the bottom.

The ball race is pressed tightly into a cylindrical opening 2| in a drawbar member 22; the latter being in the form of a heavy ring provided with a forwardly-projecting tubular stem 24. The ball race is preferably provided at its lower end with a narrow lip or flange which engages with the under face of the member 22 and serves as an underlying support for the member 22 when the parts are assembled, as shown in the drawings. In other words, the ball race is held by the ball against moving up and down in a vertical direction; but, except for the flange, there would be no vertical support for the drawbar in the event that it should become loose on the ball race, and this flange therefore insures that the drawbar will not drop down in the unlikely event of such looseness occurring.

The stem 24 extends into the rear end of a spring housing forming part of the coupler shank or drawbar proper 25. In the arrangement shown, the housing is in the form of a cy1indrical shell 25 open at the rear end and having a rearwardly annular face 21 at its front end. The rear end of the housing is closed by a detachable head or closure 28 secured to the housing by strong bolts 29 parallel with the longitudinal axis of the housing. There are aligned bores 30 and 3| of large diameter extending, respectively, through the closure 28 and in the shank or drawbar 25 directly in front of the plane of the face 21 in the spring housing. Each of these bores is lined with a wearing sleeve or bushing 32. Ar ranged within the spring housing are two follower plates 34 and 35 engaged respectively with the front face of the head or closure 28 and with the annular bearing face 21.

Between these two follower plates is a suitable cushioning device 36 adapted to be compressed when either follower plate is moved toward the other while the latter remains stationary. The body of the spring housing has a lining in the form of a thin, wear-resisting sleeve 3'! to prevent the cylindrical wall of the housing from being worn through contact with the movable spring element.

The stem 24 has thereon a wearing sleeve 38 which fits within the rear bushing 32 so as to be free to rotate and move lengthwise in the latter. Extending lengthwise through the spring housing and screwed at its rear end into the stem 24, is a heavy bolt; a rivet 40 that passes diametrically through the stem and the rear end of the bolt preventing the bolt from unscrewing. on the front end of the bolt, within the bore 3|, is a sleeve nut 4| provided with an exterior wearing sleeve 42 that fits rotatably and slidably within the forward bushing 32 on the extreme front end of the bolt, beyond the sleeve nut, is a nut 43 that may be secured against rotation by a cotter pin 4 or other suitable means.

The front end of the stem 24 bears against the rear follower 34, while the nut 4| bears against the front follower 35. It will be seen that under a forward pull on the coupler, the head or closure 28 of the spring housing pulls forward on the rear follower, while the front follower is held stationary. When the coupler is pushed rearwardly, on the other hand, the rear follower remains stationary and the front follower is pushed rearwardly by the part 21 at the front end of the spring housing. Thus, the movements of the coupler in both the forward and rearward directions are resisted by the spring cushion.

It will be seen that the spring housing may revolve freely about the long axis of the stem 24 and the bolt 39 fixed thereto, so that the coupler head may rock about its longitudinal axis independently of any rocking movement of the drawbar member 22.

It will be seen that I have produced a very sturdy or rugged anchor which provides large bearing surfaces between the relatively movable parts; in which the direct supporting means for the drawbar extends through the rear end of the latter instead of lying behind the same; and which does not require that any part extend materially below the plane of the under side of the drawbar itself and thus leaves a maximum amount of clear space below the anchor for the reception of various accessories such as pipes, conduits and cables. Furthermore, the connection between the drawbar and the stationary anchoring member is made by simply slipping the drawbar assembly up on the post and applying the bolt and the washer associated with the latter; the removal of the drawbar being effected by simply unscrewing the nut on the upper end of the bolt, thereby to free the drawbar so that it can be lowered until it is free from the post. It will also be seen that the bolt associated with the anchoring post is not required to resist any of the pulling or buffing stresses transmitted to the anchor by the drawbar, since these are all borne by the post; the sole duty of the bolt being to support the weight of the rear end of the drawbar. Since there is no part of the anchor directly behind the rear end of the drawbar, the vertical axis of the joint in the anchor may be brought close to the bolster when the apparatus is assembled upon a 'car, and thus permit the use of a drawbar sufficiently long to make it unnecessary that the coupler head project an objectional amount beyond the end of the car when that end is curved about a center at or near the center of the corresponding bolster.

It will also be seen that I have produced a draw-bar and cushioning means of simple and sturdy construction which can readily be assembled and'taken apart and which, because of the large areas of the surfaces subjected to wear,

may remain in service indefinitely without requiring repairs.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of my invention, I do not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and demember being in the form of a ball flattened at the top and bottom, a ball race fitting around said ball and being shaped externally into a cylinder coaxial with the post, said race being divided into sections along vertical lines, detachable means cooperating with the post and engaging with the bottom face of the ball to support the ball and a drawbar embracing and fitting tightly upon said race.

2. In a draft rigging, a horizontal anchor plate,

a bearing member below said plate in the form of a ball flattened at the top and bottom having a vertical cylindrical hole extending through the same at the middle, a cylindrical post fixed to and extending downwardly from the plate through said hole, means securing said ball against movements relative to the post, a drawbar having therein an opening in the form of a vertical cylinder of larger diameter than the ball, and a vertically-divided ball race embracing the ball and fixed in the opening in the drawbar.

3. In a draft rigging, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post fixed to and projecting downwardly therefrom, a ball having an opening through which the post extends, an interlock between the b'all and the post to prevent relative rotation, a washer underlying the post and the ball, a bolt extending up through the washer and post to hold the washer in place, a verticallydivided ball race surrounding the ball, and a drawbar having in one end a cavity into which said ball race is pressed.

4. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate having a cylindrical post projecting downwardly therefrom and having an external shoulder around the upper end, a ball flattened at the top and bottom fitting around said post, a loose plate engaged with the lower end of the post and forming a support for the ball and holding the latter against said shoulder, a bolt extending up through said plate and through said post, a nut on the upper end of the bolt, a verticallydivided ball race fitting around said ball, and a drawbar embracing and fitting tightly upon said ball race.

5. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate depressed at the center and having an integral cylindrical post of large diameter extending downward from the depressed portion, a ball flattened at the top and bottom surrounding and fitting upon said post, a vertically-divided ball race in the form of a vertical cylinder having between the parts thereof a cavity in which said ball is seated, a drawbar having an opening in which the ball race fits tightly, a loose plate underlying the post and overlapping the ball to support the latter, a bolt passing up through said loose plate, the anchor plate and the post to support said loose plate, and a flange on the lower end of the ball race to prevent the drawbar from dropping down in the event of looseness in the fit of the ball race in the drawbar.

6. In combination, a horizontal anchor plate depressed at the center and having an integral cylindrical post of large diameter extending downward from the depressed portion, a ball fiattened at the top and bottom surrounding and fitting upon said post, a vertically-divided ball race in the form of a vertical cylinder having between the parts thereof a cavity in which said ball is seated, a drawbar having an opening in which the ball race fits tightly, a washer plate underlying the post and overlapping the ball to support the latter, a bolt passing up through the washer plate, the anchor plate and the post to support said washer plate, a nut on the bolt in the cavity of the depressed portion of the anchor plate, a wall of the depressed portion having therein a hole giving access to the nut and permitting passage of the nut therethrough, and a flange on the lower end of the ball race to prevent the drawbar from dropping down in the event of looseness in the fit of the ball race in the drawbar.

HERBERT E. VAN DORN. 

